Passionate Details

Halloween.........

Hope you're having a Happy Halloween.....and it looks like this outside your window.....

 

This is a rug I hooked to celebrate autumn and our family of five!!

Boo,

Meleen

Stitching

I've really been trying to do more stitching.... and I'm loving it!!

Here's my finished cuff, which is really a little fabric/lace collage for the wrist.....

I needed to take a three hour Amtrak trip two weeks ago and it was the perfect time to really get into stitching (all while gazing at the beautiful fall foliage outside the train window!)There is a little something that's slightly nostalgic and romantic about a long train ride, which probably explains my color palette!! Whatever it is....I'm really happy with how my first cuff turned out! Here are some close-ups......

And since I've been in a "stitching-state-of-mind"...look at this vintage sewing box I found with many of its supplies still inside....

Now I'm adding my own stash....so quaint, how could I not love it!

Happy stitching,

Meleen

House Wren Studio Sessions - part two

As I mentioned in the previous post, we had such delicious food at Charlotte Lyon's felt cottage class. The morning was over in the blink of an eye with everyone really concentrating on their cottage construction.

Charlotte had so many fabric choices for us to pick walls and roofs from. When Suzanne, our chef du jour, announced that lunch was served we were ready, I mean, if your not crafting then you might as well be eating!!! (whew, what a day!).....a butternut squash soup served with crème fraîche and corn bread croutons, this was followed by individual tomato and gruyere tarts and a mixed green salad with pears and beets!!!.....YUM!!!

Here are some  of our cottages still under construction........

Later in the afternoon Suzanne served an apple cake with caramel sauce on the side! And mixed throughout the day Charlotte presented us with all sorts of beautiful door prizes!!

A perfect day!!

Thank you Charlotte!!!

 

Meleen

House Wren Studio Session - part one

    
 
 This past weekend I had the chance to attend a House Wren Studio Sessions hosted by Charlotte Lyons. It was an all day how-to craft class (with a delicious lunch...but more on that later). First, let me tell you how thrilled I was that I was able to attend. Things were kind of hectic around here and I was keeping my fingers crossed to be able to make it happen. We were going to create a beautiful cottage like this one that Charlotte made....

A chance to craft with like minded women, practice my sewing skills....really,..."skills"??...okay, maybe just a chance to practice sewing, but most of all a day of friendship, laughter and sharing.

The day started out very early as I met up with Danielle  so we could continue the drive up together. I am so happy to call this sweet girl my friend!! We had a great time chatting away in the car and before we knew it we were there. We were greeted by Charlotte at her friend Jane's lovely home.

Hot coffee, tea and these yummy hot current scones were waiting for us inside!! This was the perfect start to a perfect day!

Charlotte's very talented friend, Suzanne, was catering all the food for us! How lucky were we to have this talented chef and former Vogue food editor making all this delicious food.

Jane's home was warm and inviting and the setting Charlotte created was just right........

Look at how our places were set...............

Vintage sheet music place-mats and some of our supplies and goodies in old-fashioned pie tins!!!We were off to a perfect start!

Minutes after we arrived, Amy, Hope and Pam joined us!! They came all the way from Virginia and Maryland!! Now, while I've met these talented ladies before, I've never had the chance to spend any length of time with them.....Well, after a day of crafting, eating and laughing together.....what can I say....we really had a wonderful time!!! (It went too fast, really!!)

We were also joined by Marlene, Carol, Brandi and Michelle. It was wonderful to meet all these women who came in from Connecticut and New Jersey for a day of crafting! We all agreed we'd do it again in a heartbeat!! We had such a great time!

Now, as we worked on our cottages, Charlotte explained how they kind of become a work in progress....leaving it out of the coffee table with the sewing basket near by to add more details. Here are some of the ones Charlotte created that lined our tables....

Aren't these just the sweetest cottages ever???

Can't wait to show you more.....see you soon!!!

Meleen
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Wendy Addison and Tinsel Trading

A trip to Tinsel Trading is always fun, but the chance to meet Wendy Addison made it extra special!

 
 
  Tinsel hosted a special meet the artist event this week. As always, it's was great to see Marcia Ceppos, Tinsel's owner, and running into friends made it extra special....

It was great to see Lisa Kettell and catch up on all that she's been doing.

 

 She was there with her mom, Joan, who was just the nicest person to chat with.

Terri Ventura was also there ( okay, a crazy photo...we were having some fun!!). 

And then there was the shopping..............

If you've ever been to Tinsel Trading then you know that there is just sooo much to take in. Marcia could have "I love Tinsel Trading" t-shirts and sell thousands!!

Meleen

 

Enjoying The Weekend

I love the weekends in the Fall.... Up early to hit the yard and tag sales (adding to the whisk broom collection) ....Off to watch Caroline's soccer game.....A quick trip to the grocery store and home to make a big pot of soup. We've had a few cool days in the past couple of weeks and I've already made pea soup, chicken soup with rice, and lentil soup with kielbasa. We haven't had a ham yet this fall, and since I didn't have the big ham bone leftover to toss into the soup pot, the smoked kielbasa worked out perfectly.

Enjoy the weekend!

Meleen

Gettin' My Head Back In The Game

 Okay, it's September 23rd, the first full day of Fall, and I'm soooo ready!! What quickly became the "Lost Summer" is now behind me and I'm moving ahead. There's so much catching up to do. I'm ready to bring these babies out to make their debut..............

They've been waiting in the wings for Fall to arrive. And remember these big beauties of summer, well now they are perfect for cutting and drying for Fall arrangements...

Oh I can't wait to bring them inside, they're just perfect.

I've also been doing some stitching on swaps for Silver Bella (only 50 days away!....can't show any photos yet.....don't want to give away the surprise) and on a favorite pairs of jeans. Is it still cool to patch your jeans? Well, I'm loving it and it's a good excuse not to part with them.....

And it wouldn't be Fall if we weren't watching this .............

Our little Freshman is playing Varsity soccer and she's loving every minute of it. The weather has been just perfect for playing and watching!!

Back to catching up....

Meleen

Life Throws A Curve Ball

Well I was three and a half weeks into healing from my surgery when out of the blue.....severe pain.....a trip to the emergency room.....another surgery! Yikes! This one really caught me off guard. So, four days back in the hospital, and now I'm home again to heal. I've been blessed with such great support. My husband and kids have been doing everything and I really mean everything! My friends and family mean so much and it's such a big part of healing!

Thank you for all your help, phone calls, flowers and notes....they all mean so much to me!!!!

And while trying to heal, I'm trying to focus on all the ideas that have been spinning in my head while I've been resting up. Sitting around gives you lots of time to sketch and dream........

 

....dreaming what I'm going to do with these little treasures.........sweet little buttons....

 

....all 87 of them!!!! That's right.......87!!!............................

 

(okay, so you really know I'm just sitting around when I have time to count buttons!!)

They may become part of the sweet project..........................

This little skirt was one that my daughter and I couldn't part with after she had out grown it. Now we're thinking that it is going to have a new life as a apron. I haven't begun the deconstruction yet, but will keep you posted when I do. In the mean time, I'm healing!!!

Meleen

Oh Yeah, It's Summer

Okay, so it's the first week in August, it really finally feels like summer. The sun has been out for three days straight and it hasn't rained!!!! I really have been enjoying the garden and the yard. I've heard that many people haven't had great luck with their tomatoes this year. We've been lucky I guess.....

 

Just picked these from the garden!!! Yum!!! I'll have to remember to go back and look at this photo in January when I'll just be dreaming about tomatoes............

 

and basil!!! I love the smell of basil...the perfume of summer. And believe it or not, we still have some strawberries!!

 

ssshhhh!! Don't tell them it's August...there are still flowers on the plant!!

Thank goodness we have plenty of the big pink hydrangeas to enjoy.This has been a great year for them................

 

 

 

I love them in summer, but also love drying them in the fall. These turn a beautiful dark burgundy color. I've read so many different ways for drying them but found the simplest way works best....wait until they turn burgundy in color and have a slight leathery feel to the petals. Cut the stems above next year's bud, strip off all the leaves, and place in about an inch of water for an hour or two. Drain out all the water and just leave them to dry in the vase. After they dry there are so many ways to use them. Enough about what to do in Fall....back to summer.............

 

 

 

Yeah, it feels good to just sit back and enjoy summer!

Meleen

A Little R and R

If you know me, you know I'm always on the go, but not this week. I had to have some surgery last week, returned home from the hospital yesterday and have been told I have to just "rest and relax". There were no yard sales for this girl this past weekend (and I was told the weather was perfect too...darn !). I'm slowly getting some energy back, so I should be back on the run soon!

 

Meleen